These Times
by S.Grim
Summary: Perhaps insulting Jack Kelly on her first day in Manhattan wasn't the best of ideas...NEW CHAPTER!...Chapter 17 in progress...
1. Chapter 1

_Hello. This is my first fan fiction story on the site though it has been a long time coming. I'm rather new at this so bear with me. _

_**Ye Olde Disclaimer:** Right. So characters that you recognize throughout this story belong to Disney and characters that you don't belong to me. Short and Sweet._

_And so it begins... _

* * *

**T**he cab stopped in front of a squat building two stories tall. I looked down at the worried letter that I'd been folding and unfolding all the way from Brooklyn. I compared the address in the letter and the one on grocery sign on the store front. _745 S. Fifth St_.

"Right ma'am, this be the place," said the cabbie. I jumped off the back. With a grunt, he handed me the threadbare trunk case my mother had given me. I put it on the ground as I counted out what I owed him.

"Thanks to ya, miss." He tipped his hat and slapped the reins on the horse. I looked back to the grocery store which would become my home for some time. I looked down at the letter in my hand but there was really no need. I had memorized what was in it.

_Dear Bela Morgan_

_I was most grieved to learn about the going-ons with Jim. As you know, Jim and I have been close friends since our youth. If I knew of his whereabouts, be assured that I would be the first to tell you. I hope that this letter will lighten the load on your shoulders during this difficult time. I have opened a grocery store in Manhattan that has been doing well. Well enough, that I can offer one of your daughters a position. She would be looking after our young daughter, Nelly and helping the wife and I around the store. I can offer room and board as well as two dollars each week that I can send directly to you. Please let me know if you can accept this offer by sending a letter to 745 S. Fifth St. Manhattan, New York. I hope you and your family remain in good health._

_Tom Leary _

When we received the letter, Mama was adamant about refusing the offer. She refused, she said, "to further split up the family." Financial difficulties had hit our family hard. Father lost his job at the factory and found it difficult to get another. Things slowly worsened. One day he stepped out, presumably to get some stale bread for dinner but never came back. He left our remaining money in an envelope but no explanation.

Eliza and I had had to drop out of school and were working by this time. Mama and I as maids in a grand house and my younger sister in a dreadful factory job. I convinced Mama to let me go as I pointed out that Eliza could take over my job at the Crane house. She eventually agreed and sent a letter to the Learys Their reply bade me to come in the following month. As scared as I was, I knew at least Mama and Eliza would have one less mouth to feed.

I picked up my heavy trunk case and walked to the front door. It wasn't yet open as it was still rather early in the morning. I knocked on the door. A few minutes later, it swung open and a tired-looking woman looked out at me. She pushed wisps of fair hair out of her eyes, glanced at my trunk case and said,

"Kate? Katie Morgan?"

"Yes. Yes, that's me."

"Oh, come in love, you look worn out."

"Only just a bit. Thank you." I walked in and noticed that the grocery was fairly large and the Learys had a large stock of goods.

"I'll show you to your room. Leave the trunk here if you like. Tom can get it later."

"It's alright, I can manage. It's lighter than it looks." I picked up the trunk and followed her around the store counter on the right hand side and through a door . We stepped into what looked like a family area. There was a sofa and a table in the middle of the room. There were two doors in the room.

Mrs. Leary turned to me and said, "This one here, on the right is your room, and that one leads to the upstairs landing. Come with me so I can show you the water closet." I left my trunk in the family room and followed her up the wooden steps.

In the narrow hallway there were three doors. The one on the right was the water closet. And the two on the left were the bedrooms of the Learys and Nelly. Mrs. Leary explained that her husband had only just arisen and that Nelly was still asleep.

She led me down the stairs and opened my bedroom door. She opened the window on the right side of the room. "Mr. Leary's brother used to sleep here but he's been gone for months. Went off to California. Can you believe it?" She took out a rag and dusted the window. I put my trunk on the floor next to my bed and she said,

"Well, you get settled in and I'll come get you so you can meet Mr. Leary and our Nelly."

"Thank you, Mrs. Leary." She gave me a smile and went out the room leaving me to contemplate my new living quarters. There was a small drawer with a mirror next to my small bed. Everything about the bedroom was rather small. But it was mine and I loved it.

Back at home I shared a bed with my sister in a bedroom about the same size. We lived in the same tenant building since I was born and I found the change of setting refreshing. I busied myself with putting what clothes could fit in the drawer. It was clean inside and I only had to brush away a few pieces of lint. My remaining possessions stayed in my trunk. My journal made of bound scraps of paper, small stubs of pencils that I would keep from school, my cherished ink pen with it's inkwell, a few earmarked books,and a letter from Mama and Eliza.

I straightened up but caught myself in the mirror. Had I worn the same worn-out, worried expression since Father ran off? Since before that time? My dark hair was in a state of disarray. I combed through it with my fingers and smoothed in down. A lot good it did me.

I walked over to the window. Being on the first floor, the ground wasn't too far away. Actually, not that far away at all. _I can easily climb out_, I thought. _Hah, look at me making plans_. I closed the window slightly and drew the curtains.

I walked into the grocery store that still remained closed. I walked around looking into the barrels of flour and smelling the scented soaps. I heard the door open from behind the counter. I put the soap back quickly and turned to see a bear of a man step out.

"Katie, a pleasure to meet you." He strode over and smiled as he held out his hand to shake mine.

"Nice to meet you too sir. Thank you for offering me a place in your home."

"No trouble. No trouble at all. Anything for Jim's family." I gave an awkward smile at the mention of my father. Ms. Leary stepped out holding the hand of a little girl who was still sleepily rubbing her eyes.

"This is Nelly. Dear, this is Katie." Nelly looked at me shyly from behind her mother's dress. I bent over and waved at her.

"Hello Nelly. Good morning." Nelly smiled and walked over and took my hand.

"Nelly, dear, show Katie how old you are," said her mother. Nelly showed me five fingers on her hand.

"Oh, you're really smart aren't you?" I said.

"That's our girl," said Mr. Leary proudly. Mrs. Leary looked up at me, smiling and said,

"Katie, we'll be opening the shop in a few minutes. There's a park down the street. Please take Nelly with you and buy four apples from a vendor that sells there"

"Yes, of course."

"Hold on, I have an old coin purse you can take with you," said Mrs. Leary. She went behind the counter and dropped some coins within the small purse and handed it to me. "Come back in an hours time or so."

"Yes, of course. Come along Nelly." I took her by the hand and walked out the door. Mrs. Leary followed."Now, continue going north until you reach a park. It's not too far, in fact, you can see it a bit from here. There's a statue right in the middle of it." I thanked her again and set out with Nelly.

* * *

_A/N_

_This is merely a sort of introduction by the way. The story starts taking a turn in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Nelly surprised me with her constant chatter. She pointed out things for me to see and asked me many questions in her child-like way.

The park was only about fifteen minutes away. It might've been less but Nelly's observations and my own lengthened our walk. More and more people began to fill the streets and shops began to open. We neared the Portland St.

"Ok, Nelly, here's the park, but where are those apples?"

"Apples," said Nelly simply.

I finally spotted the vendor near a barber shop. "Hmm, he's still setting up. D'you want to go to the park for a bit?" I walked with Nelly over to the park. It was nearly empty. We walked together around the base of the statue and admired the trees. The park was really quite small but surprising to see in the midst of all this bustle.

I looked over to the vendor who seemed ready for business. The streets were much more crowded now and I had to carry Nelly in my arms as I feared she might get crushed. I reached the vendor's stall and put Nelly down. Suddenly, I was rudely bumped into. I nearly fell over but was steadied by a man next to me. He had rather small beetle-like eyes that bore right into me. I felt a bit uneasy under his gaze but thanked him.

"That was rather rude of that young man," he said looking at me closely.

"Yes, it really was. Thank you for your concern." I searched into the folds of my skirt and felt my heart drop. "Oh no, where's my coin purse?" I looked widely around. I wondered if I dropped it in the park or on the street. It seemed that the man had been waiting for this reaction.

"Hold that young man! Thief! He has stolen this young woman's purse!" I looked at him startled. Other onlookers heard his yells and a burly man near a store front grabbed the shirt of the young man who had bumped into me. He reacted with surprise as he was pushed back into my direction.

"Hey! What is this?!"

"Young man, give this lady back her purse," said the infuriating and intrusive man. I tried to interject,

"You know, I might've..." But I was interrupted by the shouts of the young man.

"Oh really! Callin' me a thief! Well, I can tell ya lot that Jack Kelly ain't some rotten pickpocket. I've got morals. I ain't some dumb street rat that's going to allow people like you," he turned to give me a dirty look before continuing, "ta call me a stinkin' thief. Alright?" He spat on the ground. And I opened my mouth to retort angrily that this was not in _anyway_ my fault but he interrupted. "Hey, wait..." He looked past me and I followed his gaze to Nelly who was trying to pry apart the coin purse that she'd no doubt filched from my pocket. She looked up at the us and then went back to concentrating on opening the coin purse.

"That's right. Ya can let go now," he said throwing off the hand of the burly man.

"Nelly!" I scolded but she barely reacted.

"Miss, do me a favor and next time, don't jus' accuse tha first person ya see," he said angrily while jamming a cap on his head.

"What? I didn't..." I stammered but he walked away. "Well if you don't want an apology, go off then." I said but it was too late for he had gotten swallowed up in the crowd.

The beetle-eyed man sniffed and said, "Children these days. Rotten, the lot of them!" And he walked off obviously thinking he'd done his good deed for the day. The apple vendor smiled at me sympathetically. I sighed and bent down to Nelly.

"Nelly, please give me the purse." She ignored me so then I said, "If Nelly wants some apples, she should give me the purse...Mama will be angry with you." She looked up and handed me the purse quickly. "Thank you. I would like four apples please."

The man wrapped them up and handed them to me. I took the package and thanked him. Nelly and I returned to the grocery store briskly walking to make up for lost time. When we got there, customers were already within the shop and Mrs. Leary waved me over. She took Nelly by the hand and said, "Katie, be a dear and look after the shop while I give Nelly her breakfast." I handed her the apples and went behind the counter as she disappeared into the family room. I looked nervously around me at the customers milling about. A woman approached and laid her purchases on the counter. I added the prices and she handed me the money. Then she looked at me expectantly.

"Well, ain't cha' goin' to wrap up my things?"

"Oh right." I had wondered what the brown butcher paper and string were doing underneath the counter. I wrapped up her things in a neat little package and handed them to her.

"Thanks very much"

"Have a good day," I replied. I worked at the counter for the rest of the morning before Mrs. Leary let me go for lunch. Then, I was asked to look after Nelly for some time. I didn't want to remain in the dim interior of the house so we sat in the front steps as she played with her dolls.

I'd taken a book but found it difficult to focus on both the book and active Nelly so I gave up and just surveyed my surroundings. The street was rather busy which was good for the Leary business. Customers came and went, many smiling at Nelly as they passed her by.

I found myself thinking of that morning. I was sorry that he had gotten accused but it really wasn't my fault. I remembered his angry look. It made me uneasy to be the recipient of such obvious hatred but also cross that he couldn't stand to listen to my explanation. I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and resolved to no longer waste my time thinking about that morning.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I jumped at the sudden interruption. I turned and looked up at a slight girl of about my age. Her reddish hair fell just below her shoulders and freckles dotted her nose.

"How long have ya been here?"

"Um, I moved here today. I'm working for the Learys and I have board here."

"Oh, well, hi there the name's Molly."

"Katie. And this cheeky girl here is Nelly."

"There aren't very many girls our age in this borough. Well, I think our age. I'm nearly seventeen."

"I've just turned seventeen." She smiled,

"I only have one younger sister. The rest are brothers. They're tiresome fools," she huffed then exclaimed, "Oh! I've got to get home! My mother will murder me if I let this cabbage wilt. Good-bye Katie!" She tore down the street with surprising speed.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

My first days in Manhattan went by surprisingly quickly. Before I knew it, I'd been with the Learys for around two months. I felt confident enough to wander around our borough with ease. I loved the mornings the best when the vendors began to sell their wares and the streets went from empty and silent to bustling and loud.

I had time to myself early in the mornings and late in the afternoons. My tasks ranged from looking after Nelly, to fixing the shop and looking after customers. The Learys were a cheerful family for the most part and as business picked up, Mr. Leary became even more jovial than I remembered him from our first meeting.

I had resolved to visit Mama and Eliza every month. I left the house at dawn, and would reach Brooklyn by early morning if I walked fairly quickly. They were looking well and even though I missed them terribly, I was glad they didn't have me to worry about. Eliza and I sent each other letters almost weekly to keep in touch.

I was sitting in my room reading through my letters when Molly bounded in. Her face was flushed and it was obvious to see that she couldn't wait to tell me something.

"Who on earth let you in?"

"Haha. I have something of interest." She gestured to a piece of paper in her hand. "Let me read this." She threw herself onto my bed with an "Ooof. Alright. It says here.

_T__he Congress Theater Cordially invites the Young Ladies and Gentlemen of Manhattan To A Show Featuring our Lovely Medda Harper. June 23rd. From the hours of eight o'clock to ten o'clock. Tickets 0. 10._

She looked up and grinned. "Well?" She said excitably "Tell me you can go." She thrust the bill in my hands. I grabbed it and said,

"I. I don't know. I mean, I've never asked the Learys if I can stay out for things like this."

"But, you want to go. Right?"

"Well, yes I do."

"Sneak out," she said as she gestured to the window.

"I can't risk it. They might be so angry that they'll kick me out. I'm going to have to ask them."

"Well, then. It's settled!" Molly bounded off the bed and pointed her finger at me. " All you got to do is convince the Learys to let you go." She clasped her hands together and walked around the room dreamily. " Oh, it's going to be great fun. I promise! And if you haven't met the newsies of Manhattan, you haven't met anybody. I mean Racetrack. All the girls love him. And Kid Blink, I've met him and can't forget Jack Kelly of course. And..."

"Wait. That last name sounded familiar."

"What? Oh, don't tell me you've met the great Manhattan newsie leader already," Molly scoffed as she put her hands on her hips. I felt my stomach drop. _What?_

"There's nothing to be jealous about," I said weakly. Molly rolled her eyes at this but let me continue in a small voice. "He's. I'm quite sure, the one who was accused of stealing my coin purse." Molly's mouth rounded in surprise.

"I'd hate to be in your shoes."

"My first day in Manhattan and I make the leader of Manhattan out to be a thief!" I groaned and fell onto my bed. "I can't go to that theater. He'll set all the newsies of Manhattan on me."

"No. You can't say thaaat! I'm sure he's forgotten by now. He won't even remember you, I'm sure. Look. At least try to get permission from the Learys and then decide...How 'bout it?" I frowned and shook my head vehemently. She continued hopefully, "Well, I suppose you could, say, I don't know, arrange to bump into him and apologize. Maybe meet him at the Newsie Lodging House and strike up a conversation?"

"Oh, Molly. That's a terrible idea. I tried to apologize last time. I really did but that git just walked off." She sat on the bed dejectedly. I sighed, sat up and said, "Alright, I'll talk to the Learys and then decide." She gave a happy squeal and jumped up and hugged me.

"Tell them you'll walk home with me and one of me brothers. D'you have any errands to run?"

"A bit, yes. I have to take Nelly to her aunts and deliver packages for some customers."

"Why aren't you ever free?"

"I am," I laughed, "But then you're always busy."

"Argh. I should be off anyway. Can I jump out your window?" I laughed and said,

"Sure. Try it." She went over and jumped feet-first onto the ground below.

"Not even a scratch!" She waved good-bye and left.

My first task was taking Nelly to her aunts. Carrying a bulky basket full of packages and a squirming child wasn't my idea of fun so dropping Nelly off was a bit of a relief. My next task, or I should say, tasks were to deliver packages to customers who'd asked for delivery. There weren't many. The Learys only provided the service to those who were very old or very sick. Once, I delivered the last package to Patrick O'Conner on Second St. with the broken leg, I tucked the wicker basket underneath my arm and set on home. Dusk was falling and getting caught on the streets of Manhattan at night was the last thing I wanted to do.

As I passed by Main St., a sign on a building that read, Manhattan Lodge House caught my eye. I stopped and looked around. I started thinking about what Molly had said earlier. _Bump into him. _So I swallowed my pride and walked back in the direction of the Lodge House. I passed by once and then twice to survey the entrance. There didn't seem to be anyone there.

I stepped up to the front and peeked in. I saw a wooden counter much like the one at the grocery and a staircase leading to a top floor. There was no one in the front but I heard murmurs from upstairs and dull thuds. A ledger sitting on the counter caught my attention. Being nosy and wondering if it would reveal anything about Jack's whereabouts, I went over and flipped through the pages. Before I could fully absorb the information or even make out the spidery writing, the book was suddenly closed. I yanked my hand away seconds before my fingers were slammed. I looked in surprise up to see a smirk on a boy's face only inches away. Then his face grew serious.

"Koppelman ain't here. State yer business." He lit a cigar and leaned on the counter.

"Um," I said dumbly, wondering who was Koppelman and if I should ask this boy where Jack was. I decided to go through with it. "I want Jack Kelly. Its of the utmost importance." He snorted and said,

"You and tha rest of the goils in Manhattan." Suddenly someone else bounded down the stairs. The boy waved him over. He said, grinning all the while,

"Hey, Mush. Come 'ere. This is rich. This girl thinks she wants Jack. Now, I don't know about ya, Mush, but in a choice between Racetrack Higgins and Jack Kelly I think I would 'ave the final pick. Now tell me, tell me that ain't true." Mush chuckled. I groaned.

"You know exactly what I meant," I snapped. "I'll see myself out, thank you." I left Racetrack Higgins smirking by the counter but Mush bounded after me, took off his cap and put out his hand. I shook it.

"Mush. Nice t'a meet ya"

"Katie Morgan. Same to you." So my gamble had been an utter failure. Walking home, I fumed thinking that this Racetrack was likely to relate the story to Jack. And _of course_ I had given them my real name. I was rather vexed with myself the rest of the way home.

* * *

_Quick Note: I'll try to update fairly soon. I do have some of the story typed out but need to edit and fix a few things here and there. I am rather slow at this process, I'll admit :p_

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

When I got to the Leary Grocery I greeted Mr. Leary at the front counter and when he didn't give me something to do, I headed to my room. The show bill lay on my bed. I picked it up and smoothed it out.

Mr. Leary was still attending a customer when I stepped into the store. I wandered about until the customer left. I walked up to Mr. Leary and said, "Mr. Leary I have a question." I lay the bill on the counter facing him and continued, "I was wondering if it would be alright with you and Mrs. Leary if I could go." His eyes scanned over the piece of paper and said,

"Hmmm. I think. I think it would be best to ask Mrs.Leary." Mrs. Leary stepped from the doorway and said,

"Ask me what?" I pushed the bill in her direction.

"I was wondering if I could go." She picked it up, read it and sighed,

"Well, Katie, we aren't your parents. But, we are responsible for you. And this is rather late at night..." I replied quickly,

"I would be leaving with Molly and one of her brothers. And I wouldn't be returning alone." She bit her lip and said,

"In that case, I don't know why not." She looked to her husband who nodded. "Alright, you may go on the condition that you don't return alone. And we trust you'll be returning at a reasonable hour and you have a key so we won't wait up for you." I smiled and agreed with their conditions. I thanked them and left for my room.

When I told Molly a few days later, she was ecstatic. She jumped and down for a bit before flopping onto my bed and saying wearily, "Now, I have to get one of my brothers to take us. Simon or William. One will say yes."

"I hope so. One of the conditions for me to go was to leave and arrive with the two of you." I sat in front of my mirror combing out my hair. I placed my hat on my head, then I removed my apron and picked up my wicker basket.

"Where are you going now?"

"Delivery. Mrs. Bates."

"Oh, well. My mother was expecting me home about an hour ago anyway." She left via my window again. It had become her favorite way to exit. I would have done the same, but I needed to pick up the items from the store.

It was mid-afternoon and the sun was sweltering. I hurried to deliver the packages to Mrs. Bates who lived quite a ways from the Learys. The interior of the house was fairly cool as Mrs. Bates lived in the basement and when she handed me the change, I was reluctant to face the uncomfortable heat of the outside. I thanked her and left. I pulled my hat brim further down so that I could avoid the glare of the sun. The streets were crowded and my hat made it difficult to see. I kept bumping into people and excusing myself nearly every minute. A heavy-set woman made a rather large fuss over a small bump and dismissed my apology with a snort. As I rounded the corner, I turned to glare back at her and in doing so, bumped into something. Well, to be specific, a person. I looked up to excuse myself for about the millionth time but in my surprise I almost fell over. He steadied me by grabbing me by the shoulders. He opened his mouth to speak but I sputtered,

"Kelly?!" He looked surprised for a second but then smirked and said,

"Do we know each other?" I began quickly,

"Katie Morgan. I have something to tell you..." My voice trailed off as I saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes turn into an angry flash. _Damn_. He released me and said in a low voice,

"I don't think I want to listen to whatever it is you 'ave to say. Now if you'll excuse me." He strode past me brusquely. I looked at his retreating back angrily. _What an arrogant ass_. I looked in the direction home and in the direction he was disappearing. I wondered if it was worth it after he'd so obviously deflected my attempt at an explanation. I sighed in exasperation and began to elbow my way in the direction he was headed. I'd just spotted his cap in the crowd when I felt two hands grip my arms. I looked up in surprise to see two boys standing on either side of me. Both had identical sneers on their faces. One said in a oily voice,

"We just want to apologize for our friend Francis o'er there for his erm rudeness."

"Francis?" I snorted.

"Right, right," said the other in the same tone. "Our friend Francis Sullivan. Oh, didn't he tell ya. Jack Kelly ain't his real name."

"Francis there has been treatin' ladies of your kind rudely for far too long. Wots you say to teachin' him a little lesson?"

"Right miss. How 'bouts you listen to old Oscar here and come along with us. For the good of punishin' Jack of course." I wriggled out of their grip and turned to face them.

"I don't think so," I snapped. I sidestepped them and walked briskly into the crowd. I didn't turn to see if they were following me but chose to quicken my step. And as soon as I was in the thickest part of the crowd, I yanked my hat off and stuffed it in my basket. I took the long way home, looking over my shoulder every so often to check if those odd guys were behind me. I shivered, rubbing my arm. They were unquestionably strange.

* * *

_Most of my future notes will be on the bottom on the page and for the most time they won't be long because I'm not quite sure what else to add.This will probably change in the future as I get used to this and then you won't be able to shut me up :D  
_

Swindler: I was aiming for this story to be believable (for the most part) so thanks!

Thanks also to Mids-all-the-way for her review :)

Sorry in advance for future editing mistakes, I'll try to fix them quickly


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

The day of the show arrived and I was nervously waiting in my room for Molly and her brother. I was wearing a dress that used to belong to my mother when she was younger. The show wasn't supposed to be extremely fancy and I was glad of it since I wouldn't have had a dress for a fancy dress occasion. The dress I had on was simple but pretty. I smoothed the front and looked out the window while nervously playing with the ribbon in my hair. The daylight was diminishing by the minute and it cast an eerie but beautiful glow in the alley and on the fire escape. I heard steps behind me and saw Molly.

"Ready?"

"Of course." I looped my arms with hers and we walked out. I said good-bye to the Learys and we walked over to see her brother William. I greeted and thanked him for escorting us over to the show. Molly interjected,

"Oh, don't thank him. He only said yes because he knew he'd knew Jessie would be there. His girlfriend...Ow!" Molly protested when William playfully punched in the arm.

"Don't listen to her, Katie. What guy wouldn't want to take two girls to a show? Even if ones his annoying little sister." I laughed and took his proffered arm. Molly walked beside me sullenly for a bit but began her chattering as we neared the theater. People were milling about the front as we made our way to the door. We paid for our tickets and were left to choose a seating area.

"This is where I leave you girls," said William distractedly as he looked around the filling theater.

"Fine with us," sniffed Molly.

"Don't leave this theater without me," warned William, pointing at Molly as he walked away in the direction of a pretty, waving girl with brownish hair. Molly shook her head scornfully and said,

"Insufferable. Come on, Katie. A table or balcony seats?"

"Um, balcony." I looked nervously around. From the balcony, hopefully I could spot Jack before he spotted me. We walked up a small carpeted staircase to the balcony and Molly chose seats in the front row, facing the stage. I settled down next to her and she clasped her hands together and said,

"I can't wait. Medda's really good. Oooh, look down there." She pointed to a candy man selling his wares to the increasing crowd below. "How 'bout we each put in five cents and share the lot?"

"Sounds good. Please get me some licorice."

"I don't want to go."

"Well, neither do I. If you don't remember, I _am_ avoiding certain people."

"Paper-scissors-rock."

"What?! No!," I said indignantly. Molly glared at this response. So I said, "Fine." After a small intense game where Molly beat me soundly, I stood up and said with my arms crossed, "What d'you want?" Happy now, Molly replied,

"Gumballs and Mary Janes." She handed me five cents and I went down the small staircase and suddenly saw Jack Kelly enter with other newsboys. I rushed back into the staircase and peered around it. I recognized Mush and Racetrack Higgins from the other day but the other boys were unfamiliar. I waited until they sat in a table near the front of the stage and approached the candy man. After purchasing the candy, I ran up to the balcony.

"I saw him."

"Did he..."

"No. He's right over there. You see? This is exactly why I chose the balcony." Molly sucked on a piece of candy thoughtfully and said,

"This theater is big. He'll never know you're here."

"I don't know..." I said nervously. Then the lights thankfully dimmed in the theater. Medda came out and said,

"Alright, my darlings, I know you've been waiting for a big show so here it is!" She introduced the emcee who introduced the performers which included a magician, clowns, and a mind reader. Then, Medda herself sang a song. Everyone in the theater knew the song it seemed, even Molly. After Medda's song, the emcee boomed that a half-an-hours intermission would take place.

Molly said, "Let's walk around." I shot her a look. She laughed and said, "It's fine, I know exactly where to go. Just follow me." She went down the staircases and I trailed close behind her. She was walking to the front of the stage using the side passages and led me to the orchestra pit which was empty of musicians and instruments for the time being. However, there were already a group of boys in the middle huddling around a table playing poker. There were other people scattered there and here. It was a fairly large space. I quickly scanned the room but found no one I recognized. Molly went over and sat in the space underneath the wooden stairs that rose to the stage. She flicked dust of her skirt and said, "There, now we can keep watch here." She was right but I would have preferred to have stayed in the balcony even if it would have been a bit more boring.

There was a creak above us as some people walked up on the stage. Then the light in the pit was obscured as someone sat down on the stairs. There was a schick of a match being lighted and laughter from above. The I heard low voices above us.

"So, Jack, did ya see that girl with Molly?" I froze and nudged Molly who was eyeing the boys playing poker. No doubt her main reason for bringing me to the pit. She looked up startled but I put my finger to my mouth to shush her and pointed up to the staircase. She peered up with surprise and mouthed _Jack Kelly. Kid Blink. _She touched her eye to show the eye patch the other was wearing. Jack took a drag from his cigarette and said,

"The one Racetrack recognized?"

"Yeah. Katie somethin'. Apparently she's the one who came around the Lodge House the otha' day. Askin' questions bout' ya. We was wonderin' why she was there." Jack paused before saying,

"Can't think of any reason why."

"You don't figure she's from Brooklyn or Bronx do ya?"

"Hah. I doubt that Blink. Doesn't seem smart enough to be any kinda spy." I rose in anger but Molly pulled me down forcefully. I crossed my arms wondering how many more insults I could listen to before I swore Jack Kelly out. Suddenly there was an almighty crash. Molly and I looked up startled. There seemed to be some sort of disagreement over at the poker table. The table was overturned and cards and chips were strewn all over the floor. The boys were looking like they were about to murder each other. I looked up to see Jack Kelly giving me a cold stare and Kid Blink looking down with surprise. I returned the glare and yanked Molly by the arm out of the orchestra pit. Medda went down the pit and was giving the boys a good talking-to as we left.

"Are you alright?,"asked Molly tentatively.

"I'm fine. I'm more angry than upset. I detest him. Molly, I think I'm going home now."

"What?! No, you can't let him ruin your evening."

" He didn't and he won't. I feel a bit tired, honestly."

"Well, even if you wanted to go off and leave me, you can't. You promised the Learys. I'm going with you then."

"No. I don't want to shorten your night. I'll be alright. It's not too far away. Anyway, I brought a knife with me." Her eyes rounded in surprise.

"You did not," she scoffed.

"I did." I pointed to my waist. "It's behind here. I just reach here in my dress and it's right there." She reached out as if to confirm it. I pushed her hand away. "Do you want to push it in my stomach?" Her arm recoiled. "Really, go find William, I'm alright."

"I'm coming by tomorrow."

"Alright." She gave me a hug and left. I went outside. The air was slightly more chilly than I remembered. I was glad Molly hadn't poked me. In truth, there was no knife. And I suppose in truth, Jack Kelly _had_ succeeded in ruining my evening. I huffed for a bit but after a few minutes in the cold night air, I began to feel better and I wondered if I should go back inside. I looked into the theater. The show hadn't started quite yet.

* * *

_I considered leaving this chapter with a cliffhanger. AH! But decided against as I thought it ended a bit better this way. I think the chapters are a bit short right now. I seem to have made each chapter a little over 1,000 words and I can't __get out of it! Oh well, we'll see how it goes. :) Please let me know what you like and don't like about this story so-far. It'll help me very much so. Thanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

I began walking back but accidentally bumped into someone coming out. Before I could apologize, I was suddenly shoved. I stumbled backward and almost fell off the curb. Before I could react, strong hands closed around my neck and slammed me against the white pillar of the Congress Theater. I opened my eyes but I didn't recognize the person who was cutting off my breath. I clawed at his hands. In my daze, I thought _drunk._ He'd chosen either out of luck or by intuition to keep me in the shadows.

Using the last of my strength, I kicked out and my knee jammed into his stomach. His hands weakened and he let out an "oof." I threw off his hands and almost ran into Jack Kelly. He ignored me and strode past me. He picked up the guy by the collar and punched him in the face. Then he slammed him against the pillar and said,

"Care ta explain what ya were doin'?" He didn't answer but perhaps he couldn't. One eye was already swollen and his nose was bleeding. Even in his pitiful state, I walked up to them and slapped him. I rose my hand again but Jack reached out to grab it. I looked at him in surprise and rage. He said, "Calm down alright? I have this. Jesus." I settled with crossing my arms and throwing daggers at my assaulter.

"I don't recognize ya. Where ya from." The boy grinned grotesquely but didn't answer. This prompted Jack to say, "If ya don't answer me, I'll let the girl have at ya." The boy glared at Jack and leered at me before spitting out,

"Bronx."

"Alright then, Bronx boy. I want ya and yer friends if ya have any outa here. And don't think O'Malley won't hear 'bout this." The boy's face darkened dangerously. Then, I heard running steps behind me and turned to see Racetrack and Kid Blink.

"What's this Jackie-boy?" asked Racetrack. Jack released his hold on the boy and turned to light a cigarette.

"Nuthin', this piece of Bronx trash was jus' leavin'." The boy was clearly outnumbered so he spat on the ground and turned on his heel to leave. He disappeared in the darkness and Jack said, "Be sure t'a check if anymore Bronx newsies are lurkin' around." Racetrack said,

"Sure Jack." He looked at me and then at Jack. Then Racetrack put his arm around Kid Blink and leading him back inside said, "Come on Kid, Medda's waitin'."

I looked at Jack who was blowing out smoke thoughtfully and looking in the distance. I began, "Jack. I know you remember me. What I've been trying to tell you is that I never thought you a thief. That infuriating man who called you a thief misunderstood the whole situation and that's why I went over to the Lodge House and that's what I was trying to say that day I saw you and WHY AREN"T YOU LISTENING TO ME?" He continued to look away from me instead taking another drag from his cigarette. I felt the urge to stamp my foot like a small child.

Instead, I said wearily, " Francis Sullivan, I have tried to apologize countless of times. I don't know what else you want from me."

I turned on and began to walk in the direction home. I smiled within, just the tiniest bit smug at the look of surprise on his face at the mention of his hated name. But mostly frustrated and dejected, I walked into the dark. I knew the way would be dimly lit if at all and what I really wanted to do was return to the lights of the theater but my pride wouldn't allow me. I heard a shout behind me,

"Hey! You want to get raped or somethin'?" I continued walking.

It got darker and more foreboding as I walked away from the lights and I regretted my decision more and more. He'd been right of course. The streets of Manhattan aren't pretty during the day and they weren't exactly any better at night. I expected to see lurking figures in the grim darkness of the alleys but the way home was ominously quiet.

As I neared the little park where the newsies milled around in the late afternoons, I heard soft footsteps behind me. I froze and my heart started beating abnormally fast and my mouth became dry. I stopped and so did the footsteps. Then I quickly walked in the direction of the park.

I walked in and walked to the large statue in the middle of the park of some forgotten mayor of Manhattan. The base was large and I hoped it would hide me. I peeked around it and saw a figure in the middle of the street. The figure stopped but suddenly turned in the direction of the statue. I pulled away and looked around frantically for some sort of weapon. The only thing I could see was a large stick that had fallen from a tree in the park.

I bent carefully as to not rustle the fabric of my dress. I held the stick with both hands as though to create a barrier between me and my soon-to-be attacker. I took a deep breath and readied myself as footsteps neared the statue.

The figure rounded the corner of the statute but remained in the shadows. "Stay away, I am warning you. I have full intent to cause harm." I tried to say in a threatening voice. The figure suddenly doubled over and I became thoroughly confused. Wait a minute... "Excuse me, are you laughing?" I said just a tad bit offended. He raised his head.

"Jesus, ya shoulda heard yerself." I felt myself to flush. Grateful for the darkness now, I answered hotly,

"You realize you're a right arsehole Jack Kelly."

"Oh, it's Jack now ain't it?" He answered lightly, ignoring the insult. "Ya know, ya should be thankin' me. I coulda let ya go off by yerself. Woulda had some nice headlines for the mornin'."

"Shut it!" but the infuriating boy continued."And what were you plannin' with that stick?" he said still laughing.

I crossed over and swung it in his face but he moved away quickly. He looked at me appraisingly with a smile on his face. "Good start. But.." I swung again but in the same way so of course he expected it. Stupid of me.

He deftly blocked it and closed a hand over one end and then the other. He grinned and pushed it against me pushing me backward. I nearly tripped over a stray stone and he took the opportunity to twist around me and hold the stick underneath my neck.

"Good start, but not quite ready."

"Fine," I snapped. " Thank you for the assessment. Let me go." He released his hold on the stick and I threw it angrily to the side. I brushed off imaginary dust of the front of my dress careful not to look him in the eye. I walked out of the park and he fell in step beside me, his hands in his trouser pockets. Funny how mere minutes ago he was the one angry with me. I could almost feel him grinning in the darkness so I bristled, "Stop it."

"Stop what?" He said innocently but with the faintest trace of a smile.

"Alright, keep on laughing at me."

"Ah, come on Kate. You woulda laughed too if..." He paused wondering if he should continue. A smile played around my lips as I recalled my fighting stance, ready to take on my attacker with a stick. I laughed, I couldn't help it.

He glanced at me with a relieved and surprised expression at my sudden change of mood. And suddenly I couldn't stop laughing. I had to lean against a lamppost for support and laughed until tears came to my eyes. Jack had also started laughing but now he looked a bit worried at the sight of my tears. He chuckled nervously as he said, "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm fine." I laughed as I wiped away the tears. "I'm fine. I should be getting home." We walked the rest of the dark way in silence. We reached the front of the grocery store and Jack looked at me expectantly. "I'm not going in through the front if that's what you're wondering." I walked to the right side of the building and into the alley. Jack trailed close behind. I climbed onto the thin ledge and attempted to lift the window to my room.

"Here, let me" said Jack.

"It's fine, I can do it." I said quickly. I could do it with only a bit of trouble. I didn't want Jack thinking of me as the kind of girl always needing a guy at hand. He'd already punched someone for me and walked me home for god's sake. I pushed it open and stepped off lightly from the ledge. I looked up at him. "Jack, thanks for...thanks for everything." He crossed his arms and said,

"Um yeah. No problem." And suddenly it seemed like we both didn't know where to look. I broke the silence.

"Alright, then. Goodnight." I climbed back on the ledge and bunched my dress in front of me swung one leg over into the window while holding onto the window frame and then swung the other inside. I jumped carefully onto the ground below as to not wake the Learys. I heard him say,

"Hah, I swear you've done this before."

"You've no idea" I said grinning as I leaned out the window. In truth, it was my first time. He took a few steps back while saying,

"See ya around, Katie." Then he turned around and walked away with his hands in his pocket while whistling a soft tune I couldn't quite make out. I looked at his retreating back for a few seconds and then pulled my head back inside and closed the window. I made sure to lock the window securely. I had left it unlocked since I knew I would be returning late. I put on my nightgown and turned on the oil lamp beside my bed intending to read a bit before sleeping. But I drifted off to sleep before I could.

* * *

_Hellooo. More twists to come so I'll be taking into account the feedback that I receive to decide if I should go through with these twists._

_Addition: It's kind of funny but I started this story with this above chapter and the story developed from there. Just wanted to add that. :)  
_

_Thanks to Kathryn Mason-Sykes who reviewed last!_


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

_Coming back from my long hiatus :)_

_I realize it might be a little hard to follow since it picks up, I guess mere hours from the previous chapter, but it's been months in real time! And it's a bit of twist on top of that. Well, I hope it works out..._

* * *

I was awakened later that night by soft tapping on my window and a murmur of voices outside. My oil lamp had extinguished and it took me a couple of seconds to become accustomed to the darkness. I rose quietly from my bed and went over to the window, careful not to step on the worn patches in the wooden floor that creaked. I pushed the curtains back a bit from the side to see outside. Molly's wide and worried eyes were staring at me and William was standing further away. I made motions for her to step off the ledge and opened the window gently.

"Katie, I'm so glad you made it home. We just had to check."

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming by. What time is it?"

"Around three..."

"What? I thought the show was over at 10?"

"Well, yes but we stayed behind for a gathering at this abandoned tenant building. It was great fun. Singing and dancing, too bad you didn't go. Anyway, it got a little rowdy so Will and I took off."

"Oh, that does sound like fun," I said wistfully. Molly smiled and whispered,

"Next time then. We must be off though. We still have to sneak back in. Good night!" She and William waved and walked out of the alley. I closed the window gently and put on the locks. That gathering did sound like fun but at least now Jack Kelly and I had resolved our differences. Which reminded me. I had forgotten to tell Molly about it.

"_Tomorrow," _I thought. Feeling parched, I poured myself a glass of water from a pitcher on my dresser. I drank the whole glass but before I could drink the second, the soft tapping resumed at my window. I set the glass down, walked over to the window and threw the curtains aside expecting to see Molly.

Instead, I found Jack Kelly looking back at me. He stepped off the ledge and waited for me to open the window. Bewildered, I unlocked the window and opened it gently. Before I could speak, he said,

"That's ma girl. Katie love! Long time no see." He walked closer to the window unsteadily. He got on the ledge and leaned against the window frame, his face close to me. I could smell a faint whiff of whiskey or rum. Some type of alcohol. I recoiled.

"Jack!" I said horrified, "You're drunk!"

"Er, just a bit. Mind if I sing to ya?"

"Yes!" I cried. He was becoming louder by the minute. I looked about nervously and whispered, "Come inside." Luckily he understood enough of what I was telling him and he climbed feet first into my window. Then he lost his balance and landed on the floor with a thud. I'd reached out to grab him and had nearly fallen as well. He got up and brushed himself off and looked about him in a bemused fashion. I closed the window and strained to hear if the Learys had gotten up to investigate. Hearing nothing, I walked over to him. He was staring in a transfixed sort of way at the door. Then he walked over and reached out a hand to open it but I shoved in front of him and with my back to it, I whispered fiercely at him,

"Jack. Don't you dare." He looked at me with a strange look on his face. Then he smirked, leaned down and kissed me. I pulled away and stared at him in shock for a few seconds. Then I pushed him out of my way, took the full glass of water from my dresser and threw it in his face. In his surprise, he sputtered unintelligible curses. He shook the water off, sitting on the edge of my bed. And when he looked up at me, his eyes were clearer and sharper. But he seemed surprised to see me there.

"Well?" I demanded, hands on my waist. He put his hand to his temple and closed his eyes. You could tell it took an awful strain to say what he had to say.

"Right. Ahem, um. Irving Hall. No, wait. Drinks at... I dunno..." He looked up at me and said pointing to the glass in my hand, "What was in _that_?" I sighed and said,

"Just water. I think it's best you have some. To drink, to clear your head." I replied quickly when he looked startled. I turned back to see the pitcher nearly empty. I said, "Wait." I took the pitcher off the stand and crept over to the door. Thankfully it opened without much fuss. The barrel of water was in the store. It was filled with water from the pump at the corner each week. Pulling back the tarp that covered the barrel, I filled the pitcher to the brim. Then I carefully tip-toed back. Once inside I filled the glass. When I turned to give it to him, he was already stretched out on my bed with his hat over his eyes. _Damn it_. I glared at his sleeping form. My fingers itched to throw the glass of water at him again but instead I set it down. Then I took the pillow and blanket from the bed and made myself a makeshift bed on the floor. The floor was damp from where the water had spilt. I made sure to sleep away from it. I wasn't about to let Jack Kelly make me lose any more sleep so I settled myself among the blanket and pillow. I was even more tired than before so I dozed off within a few minutes.

* * *

_I know it was awhile ago, but nonetheless:_

_**Mids-all-the-way**: Thanks for the review! Hopefully I'll update more consistently_

_**Culture Clubber**: Thanks as well! I definitely need to work on this area (newsie grammar) and that's why I wanted a beta reader! When none came around, I became impatient and just posted it on fanfiction. But I'll do what I can in this regard. :)_

_And yes, this was a bit short, so I will post another chapter. _

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

_The following chapter is more of re-cap. I guess I just wanted Katie to express what she was feeling. _

* * *

The dawn rays woke me up the next morning. I rose sleepily from my bed. Then I jerked fully awake with a start for I was no longer sleeping on the floor but _my own bed_. I looked over to the window that was slightly ajar. The only evidence so far, that I hadn't imagined Jack last night.

I got up to close the window. Then I went about dressing and splashing my face with cold water. There was no reason trying to go back to bed. I was wide-awake now. I left my room quietly when I was finished and went about sweeping the grocery, arranging the goods and tiding up the counter.

About an hour later, Mrs. Leary came down and looked at me in surprise. "Katie. You're certainly up and about." I smiled nervously wondering if there was any way she would know all that happened last night. My guilty face would certainly give it away. She inquired about the show and I told her everything…of course omitting all the sordid details. Then she surprised me by saying that it would be alright if I wanted to have the rest of the morning free. I thanked her and decided since Molly hadn't stopped by, I would visit her.

Molly lived in a tenant building much like the one I had left behind, but while ours looked bent on falling in itself, her building seemed to have a few more good years on it. I walked up the wooden stairs and knocked on her door. Her mother answered the door amid the shrieks and laughter of Molly's little sister and little brothers.

"Hello, Katie dear."

"Hello, Ms. Wickes. Is Molly at home?" I looked at children scurrying around.

"Yes, but dead asleep. If you can wake her, I'll be eternally grateful Come in." She moved a wooden pull-horse from the entrance with her foot and pulled the door open. I walked in and thanked her. I walked over to the small room that Molly shared with her younger sister. I peeked in and sure enough, Molly _was_ dead asleep on her small bed. I opened and closed the door slowly though I wasn't sure if anything would wake the girl up. I grabbed a pillow from the floor and bit my lip to keep from laughing. Then I whacked her sleeping form with the pillow. Surprisingly, she awoke with a start. I laughed but she glared at me.

"I thought you were one of me brothers. Is it not 7 in the morning?"

"I have a free morning and your mother asked me to wake you. How can you sleep with that racket?"

"You get used to it." She yawned and stretched. "Are you here to here about that _soiree_ you missed last night." I sat on the edge of here bed and said,

"Well yes, but also I thought _you_ might want to hear about last night and Jack Kelly." She smiled and nudged me.

"From that smile of yours, I think I know." I looked away.

"There was actually very little to smile at, Molly. I was _planning_ to go back inside in the theater, when I bumped into someone on the way in." She looked intrigued, her sleepiness beginning to leave her. "Then, I found myself rudely shoved in the street." I rose and began to pace. "He, whoever he was, quite literally began to choke me and I don't know how I did it but I was able to knee him in the stomach and throw off his hands." Molly had gone dead silent but her eyes were growing wider by the second. "Then, who do I bump into but Jack Kelly who goes over to my assaulter and roughs him up before asking him who he is. I got a slap in before being stopped by Jack by the way. The guy says he's from the Bronx and Jack tells him to beat it. He looked like he was about to take Jack on right there and then but Racetrack and Blink show up and he high-tails it out of there. Then Racetrack and Blink leave when its clear there's no danger and it's just Jack and me. So, of course I took the opportunity to finally apologize to him but he refused to acknowledge my apology so I left."

"What?!" Molly shrieked. I looked up startled. "You decided to walk home by yourself, in the dark, after you'd been assaulted?"

"I know, Molly. It was terribly stupid of me. Don't think I wasn't regretting my foolishness and pride every minute as I was walking home."

"But you could've been killed, raped!"

"Molly! Keep your voice down. D'you want to hear what happened? There _is_ more." She sighed in frustration and nodded.

"Right, so I was walking home and when I got near Main St., where that park is, I heard footsteps behind me. I rushed into the park to see if I could hide and..." Molly interrupted,

"And that's when your knife came in handy."

"Well, you see...there was no knife. But I found a stick and I..."

"A stick? That's entirely laughable Katie, you couldn't have possibly..."

"That's what Jack found funny too." Molly looked at me agape.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Jack. He'd been following me. Though he did say he was considering leaving me alone to make sure there were some good headlines for the morning." Molly laughed. "By the time Jack and I got to the Learys we were, I suppose, less willing to kill each other."

"Oh, Katie. I'm so glad that didn't end as terribly as it could've."

"You're right. Next time I act like a fool, be sure to tell me plainly." I fell back on her bed. "There's still more and it's troubling me. Jack walked me the rest of the way home. Then you and William came along and when you left, I got ready to go back to bed when I heard tapping on my window. I pulled back the curtains expecting to see you as you'd left but minutes before. But it was Jack. I opened to window only to find him drunk! He was making a great deal of noise, calling out my name and such so I had to get him in quickly. He was really rather confused. He was about to open the door to my room but I rushed to stop him. And for some absurd reason, he kissed me. So I took a glass of water I had at hand and threw it at him. It roused him out of his drunken state because he looked at me as though he was surprised to see me there. I think he had a blinding headache because when I went back to give him water, he had already fallen asleep. On my bed! I was forced to sleep on the floor and when I woke this morning, he was gone."

"Crikey. Unexpected," said Molly.

"I'll say. We'd resolved our differences for the most part and then Jack had to come along and ruin it. I'm a bit cross with him now, I'll admit." We both jumped at the sound of a knock on the door and Molly's mother opened it.

"Alright, Molly girl, up you get. I need you pick up some linen from old widow Forrester. Many thanks Katie for rousing this girl from her slumber."

"You're most welcome, Ma'm," I gave a grin at Molly who rose from her bed with angry mutterings. I bade Molly and her mother good-bye and headed outside. The streets outside were beginning to show a little bit more life. Vendors were setting up and the storefronts dotted here and there were being swept and opened to customers. I knew Mrs. Leary wouldn't be expecting me for some hours and so I toyed with walking to the park. But the thought of running into Jack and the awkward situation that would arise stopped me. Instead, I decided to head back to the grocery and make some progress on my chores.

* * *

Half a week passed and I didn't see hide nor hair of Jack Kelly or Molly for that matter. I was sweeping the front steps of the grocery store late in the evening when Molly trudged up the stairs and sat on the top steps. I asked, "Wherever have you been?" Molly groaned, looked at the red tips of her fingers and said,

"She's been working me to the bone." Then her face brightened. "But she did agree to let me and William go out tomorrow night."

"What's tomorrow night?"

"Another _soiree_. You have to come to this one Katie. There'll be dancing and most everyone is coming. People our age, I mean."

"What time is it?"

"Not too late. It starts at eight but we can leave whenever. Though these things tend to last til' midnight or later." I sat down next to her and said,

"I'll come. Pick me in the alley at 8 sharp." Molly nodded.

"We should get there by eight thirty or so, then."

"Katie?" called Ms. Leary. I stood up quickly.

"Alright, I have to clean the counter and shelves now. Remember. 8 o'clock." I waved to Molly and made my way inside.

* * *

_I realize that this may sound like a similar storyline to the earlier chapters. But trust me, it won't be! :D_

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

_Considering I have been gone for awhile and considering that I didn't want to leave with the other chapter, here is one more. Please review :)  
_

* * *

I had toyed with the idea of sneaking out but the risk of losing my position with the Learys stopped me. I had to ask Mrs. Leary if I could go out with Molly once more. True, I had made it sound as if it were another organized event rather than a probably illegitimate gathering at some abandoned warehouse.

That night I sat on my bed nervously fidgeting with the ribbon around my. The dress was rather plain so in frustration, I bought a ribbon to brighten it. I rose from my bed and went over to the window, drew the curtains and poked my head out. Nothing. Just the glow of the moon lighting bits of the alley. It was nearly nine but Molly hadn't yet arrived. I was restless for I was a tad bit worried about running into Jack yet again. Then I breathed out heavily in frustration. There was no need for me to feel nervous. It had been _Jack_ who came to me in that state. So I sat on my bed, flipping through my letters from Eliza and Mama. Suddenly I heard whispered snatches of conversation outside.

"William. Be quiet for goodness sakes!" William responded something in turn I didn't understand but I could hear his amused chuckle. I walked over to the window where Molly was pulling apart the curtain to peer inside. She saw me and said, "Ready?" I nodded and climbed out the window, stepping lightly on the ground below. I pulled the window closed.

"Stay close." said William. Molly rolled her eyes at me but she stayed right by his side. William knew the way well. We took shortcuts through alleys here and there and it didn't take long before I had absolutely no idea where we were.

"Are we even in Manhattan?" I whispered. William nodded and stopped before a fork in the street.

"Somewhere to the west." He took the right street and we hurried after him. He took another turn at an alley and walked to the end of it. There was a large, rusted door. He knocked on it three times, paused and knocked two times. The door swung open, spilling light into the alley. We were hurried in and the door closed behind us. This time, we left William before he found his girl. A boy came up to Molly and asked her for a dance and then I was approached as well. We whirled around as the music became faster and we didn't even get a chance to catch our breaths for as soon as a second song started we were asked to dance again. After the fourth dance, Molly grabbed me by the arm and hurried me up the stairs to the top floor. Amid the music and general noise she yelled,

"So we can see better!" We pushed past the people standing and sitting on the steps. We got glances there and then from the boys taking us two girls in. Molly and I ignored them, avoiding eye contact and thus avoiding conversation. It was difficult. All along the staircase, we had to politely refuse dance offers. There were more boys than girls so I could tell we would be exhausted from dancing at the end of the night if this kept up.

We finally made it to the top of the stairs, to the top landing. Molly led me over to the front of the balcony and we looked down on the people below. Music was still playing and couples were still dancing. In minutes two boys approached us.

"'Scuse me, will youse dance the next one wit us?" one asked Molly. The other was about to ask me the same but Molly put her hand to her heart and said in a faint voice,

"Well, yes, but we're just exhausted. We couldn't bear to dance..." I interrupted,

"Without some water. Please?" I batted my eyelashes at them in a way I felt Molly would. They both nodded in unison and set off. Molly playfully smacked my shoulder,

"Katie, well I never..."

"I was dying of thirst. I think it was justifiable." She giggled gleefully. I lifted my hair off the nape of my neck and fanned myself. It was sweltering inside. Molly looked down at a group of boys with interest. The music had ended for the time being and people were just milling about now. I rested my arms on the rail and was surveying down below as well when Molly poked my side.

"Look over there." I looked to see where she was looking. Jack Kelly, of course. Laughing with his fellow newsies and leaning against a wall support. And off to the side was a small group of girls eyeing the Manhattan newsies and especially Jack with practiced nonchalance. I frowned as my thoughts reverted back to Jack. _He certainly looks untroubled. Where does he get off showing up drunk in the dead of night. I can't believe him! Well, I suppose it's not like he was coherent when he...well, I don't actually care, I really don't but still I... _At that instant Jack looked up to the top landing and his gaze settled on us. He said something to the rest and began to make his way through the crowd. Molly voiced my fears, "Hmm, I do believe he's coming over here."

"Perhaps," I gritted my teeth, mentally preparing what I was going to say.

Jack had reached the middle of the dance floor when someone stepped in front of his path. An older boy who was about an inch taller than Jack with a black hair and pale skin. He might've been handsome save for the sneer that rested on his features. Molly and I watched them carry on a conversation. Jack was looking a bit perturbed but he seemed to maintain a sense of amusement as the other began to get increasingly agitated and aggressive. Jack crossed his arms and continued to smirk as the other boy began to raise his voice and the people standing around them began to notice the argument unfolding. They began to step back as if expecting something. The warehouse began to quiet down as everyone drew their attention to the same spot. We could hear a bit more as Jack and the other boy raised their voices.

"Yer newsies were on Manhattan territory, O'Malley!" Jack said forcefully. I could tell he was trying to maintain the sense of composure that O'Malley had lost long before. O'Malley in turn shouted,

"Ya roughed 'em up Kelly! Anybody lies a finger on me boys, they answer ta me!"

"Considerin' they were assaultin' some of our girls, I thought it fair." O'Malley practically growled,

"They was probably whores askin' for it then! But yer jus' a liar Jack Kelly!"

"Whores?" repeated Jack quietly. He stepped closer to O'Malley and retorted angrily, "I wouldn't lie about somethin' like that!" O'Malley was now angered to the point where he shoved Jack forcefully into the crowd. Cries and an almost palpable excitement rose from the crowd as the imminent fight escalated. My hand gripped the rail of the balcony. Jack straightened himself up and faced O'Malley. A newsie by O'Malley took his vest and cigarette. O'Malley rolled up his sleeves all the while glaring at Jack. Racetrack appeared suddenly from among the crowd and cigar in hand, whispered to Jack gesturing widely as he did so. Jack listened intently as he also rolled up his sleeves.

At this point I turned to Molly to give her a look of shock. Instead, her eyes glimmered with the same excitement that gripped the crowed. "Molly!" She jumped. "This is nothing to be excited about."

"What? I'm not," she said innocently. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the crowd. Jack and O"Malley were now circling each other now. O'Malley took a stab first, trying punch Jack in the jaw. He saw it coming and ducked easily.

Early on, it was clear to see that O'Malley was a dirty fighter and that Jack was the more competent of the two. He got in more punches than O'Malley and O'Malley's lip became increasingly swollen and his nose began to bleed. It seemed that O'Malley would have to rely on tricks in order to keep fighting. He kept trying to trip Jack as if trying to get a chance to fight him when he was down.

Then, quite suddenly the part of the crowd closest to the fight began to roar. Molly and I struggled to see. O'Malley stepped to the side and then we could plainly see the glint of the knife he held in his hand.

* * *

_So, a new character. I like him...as an antagonist, that is. For now, I'm retreating, in wait for reviews. hint :D  
_


	10. Chapter 10

_What will happen next...  
_

* * *

I gasped and a collective intake of breath surfaced from the rest of the crowd as they took in the developing situation. But no one stepped in to call O'Malley out or made a move to stop the fight. I tugged at Molly's dress sleeve.

"Why aren't they stopping this? It isn't a fair fight!" Molly's face was pale.

"I. I don't think they can. If they do it's like coming to his help and Jack forfeits the fight." Jack backed away slowly. Confident now, O'Malley strode over to Jack, knife in hand. Jack feigned a punch to the left and when O'Malley fell for it, Jack grabbed the arm holding the knife. O'Malley struggled and in the ensuing struggle, he cut Jack on his right forearm. At first I thought he had just sliced the sleeve of his shirt but dark red blood began to spread on his sleeve. Jack clenched his jaw in pain but twisted O'Malley's hand until he dropped to his knees and dropped the knife. Jack kicked it away and it disappeared into the crowd. I breathed a sigh of relief.

But the fight wasn't over yet. O'Malley rose and shook his twisted hand angrily as if to ward off the pain. Furious at the loss of his knife, the one thing he had over Jack, he seemed to get extra energy from his anger. He stalked over to Jack. After a few minutes of jabbing, he succeeded in getting one punch. He aimed for his jaw but got Jack's lip instead. To my amusement, he seemed so surprised to get that one punch that he became distracted, and Jack was able to pummel him twice in the jaw. This sent him reeling back into the crowd where some of his newsies caught him before he fell. There was a pause and when he didn't rise, cheers came from Jack's side. He wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned as Racetrack came forward with a rag for his arm and slapped him on the back.

Amidst the cheers and shouting throughout the warehouse, not many noticed O'Malley stagger to his feet. Jack turned back as he was wrapping his injured arm and O'Malley rushed forward and punched him in the face. This time it was Jack who reeled back. Groans and boos arose from the crowd, directed at O'Malley. I protested,

"That was completely...I can't believe..." I clenched my hands but knew I was completely useless to stop any of this. Molly was shouting along with the rest of the crowd but adding a few choice words of hers as well.

And then, quite suddenly as if triggered by O'Malley's out of turn punch, fights began to break out around the two in the middle and it spread from there to all corners of the warehouse. Molly shrieked as two boys threw fists at each other between us, leaning dangerously close to the rail of the balcony.

Molly bypassed them carefully and grabbed my wrist, leading me hurriedly down the stairs. Avoiding blows and punches thrown every which way, we ducked and admittedly shrieked every few seconds. We finally made it to the bottom of the staircase where we stepped over the mess caused by the fight.

Suddenly a piercing sound washed over the warehouse. We looked up to see a few young boys hanging from the rafters and whistling sharply to catch attention. One yelled at the top of his lungs, "THE COPS! RUN! IT"S THE BULLS!" Suddenly Molly and I were swallowed in the sudden scramble for the back of the warehouse. Molly tried going against the flow but this time I grabbed her wrist and dragged her with me. Guessing from the massive rush to the back, the police were waiting at the front. People were scrambling out of the windows and doors.

Molly and I climbed through an open window into the back alley. Figures were running as soon as they hit the ground outside but Molly dragged me behind some abandoned cardboard boxes stacked against the wall. When I poked her side, as a way to garner information, she whispered,

"William! We have to wait for him! I don't know the way home, d'you?" I shook my head. So we shivered for a bit more minutes from the shock and the cold as people continued to rush out.

Molly was getting more and more worried. She was biting her fingernails and looking through the make-shift window we'd punched in one of the boxes. Suddenly she whispered,

"It's Jessie!" She edged past me and I followed. The brown-haired girl I recognized as William's girl was lowering herself from the window and seeming to get help from...

"William!" shrieked Molly rushing forward.

"Alright," said William jumping out the window and looking not the least bit ruffled, "Time to go." Instead of going the same way as everyone seemed to be going, William led us to another side street and then another. We were about to turn the corner when a police buggy blared past us clanging their bell. Taking in my pale face, William turned to me, took a flask out of his pocket and said,

"You might want some of this." Molly protested but William responded,

"D'you want 'er to faint on our way home?" She conceded and I took the flask gingerly and began to take a sip. The burning liquid inside scorched my throat and my eyes watered. In my surprise, I gagged and swallowed way more than I intended. I felt dizzy for a few minutes and when I recovered I looked up to see Molly, William and Jessie looking at me worriedly. I handed back the flask to William and said,

"Terrible, but thank you." Molly said,

"Let me have some then."

"Fine, but if you get drunk, it's on you Molly." She punched him in the arm and took a few hearty sips from the flask. Jessie who was looking scandalized before, even took a little sip. We continued walking. We heard the distant bell tolling the hour. Molly whispered,

"Eight...nine...ten. Ten o'clock. When it seemed we were far away enough, we all relaxed and the whiskey loosened our tongues. We were soon chatting amongst ourselves.

"Gosh," said Jessie wrinkling her tiny nose, "that O"Malley was awful." William said,

"If he hadn't hit Jack Kelly outa turn, the cops wouldn't 'ave come. He started that whole mess."

"If I saw that bastard in an alley..." Molly chirped. Jessie seemed startled at her sudden cursing but William and I barely reacted. Jessie lived near the Irving Hall and from there, I was next. Molly and I were rather giggly as we walked nearer to Leary Grocery, eliciting a number of eye rolls from William.

Even so, I was yawning as we turned the corner into the alley next to the grocery and Molly was saying behind me, "Didn't I tell you? Didn't I tell you it was going to be fun?" I turned to her and grasped her hands.

"Yes. But oh, Molly we could've been killed. I can't believe I..." She patted me on the shoulder and said

"Oh. You're safe now." I hugged her and said,

"Yes, we're back safe and sound. Thanks to our brave Will!" I waved at him cheerfully. He came over to us and took Molly by the shoulders.

"Alright, come on then Molly. You realize you're tispy..." She shook him off and said,

"Oh, am not." She then turned me by the shoulders and gave me a push toward my window, "Off you go you wench. I condemn you to the murky depths of this alley!" I laughed and turned to wave good-bye to Molly and blew a kiss towards William.

"Bye William! Good-bye Molly!" She and William waved back and disappeared around the corner. I stood there for a minute trying to remember what I was about to do. Then I turned and almost walked straight into Jack Kelly who was looking at me rather questioningly.

* * *

Props to those who reviewed!

_AlyJay: Looking back, there were some time "issues" but I tweaked the times to make it more believable (But he was supposed to be at the same gathering as Molly. Note to self: Make that clearer in the future) . And yes, definitely building conflict here w/ O'Malley. Where oh where will I go next? :P  
_

_Mids-all-the-way: Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to continue keeping up the storyline and the characterization of Kate. _

_NewsiesSpot88: I hope I hurried!_

By the way, I looked over my past chapters and...yeah...I'll probably be editing and editing them again and again.

Having issues w/ the next chapter...so I hope I have time soon to go over it!

Reviews would be AWESOME :P


	11. Chapter 11

_Katie's a bit sloshed..._

* * *

I froze. He'd emerged from nowhere. Then my fear turned in the most absurd way for I found myself laughing as I thwacked him gently on the chest. "Oh, Jack! You gave me a fright!" My voice sounded too loud for my ears. And Jack and the alley swarmed about in front of my eyes. I closed my eyes and put my fingers to my temple waiting for the dizzy sensation to pass over. Jack reached out to steady me and I opened my eyes to find him smirking at me. He said,

"Well, well, this takes me off tha hook then." I flushed and glared at him as I shook him off. He looked taken aback by my sudden and rather apparent change of mood. I put my hands on my waist and said, my voice steadily increasing in volume,

"No, Jack Kelly, it does not." I began to gesture widely. "You showed up in the middle of the night, dead drunk. I had no idea what to do with you. And then you..." He grabbed my wrists and surprised, I stopped shouting. He looked straight at me; serious now, the smirk completely erased from his face and said,

"I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean ta show up drunk. It was a mistake and I wasn't thinkin' straight." I yanked my wrists away intending to finish what I was saying. I leaned in and fiercely whispered,

"_And_ you kissed me, Jack Kelly but..."

"What?! I..." I poked him in the chest with each word,

"Yes, you did." I turned to go. I didn't know exactly where I was planning to go but certainly nowhere near Jack Kelly. But he grabbed me by the arm and said steadily,

"Katie, it might be best if you stay here, seeing as yer jus' tha tiniest bit tipsy." I yanked my arm away and retorted,

"I am most certainly not! And I'm not staying here and listening to any such accusations from you, Kelly!" I walked away from the alley to the street. When I walked off the curb to the cobblestone, I teetered unsteadily but regained my balance before I fell over. Suddenly I was hit with a barrel of cold water and drenched from head to toe. I gasped and spluttered. I immediately looked over to Jack, suspecting him, but a voice from above said,

"Bugger off! Cain't you see people are tryin' to sleep! Who is that?" Realization set in quickly. Our neighbor, Mr. Lawson was peering out of his window out in the street below. Realizing that this ill-tempered man was certainly capable of informing the Learys about my nightly escapades, I slid back in the shadows on the street and crept back to darkness of the alley, sodding wet and dripping everywhere. Jack, noticing my efforts, stepped out, pulled off his cap and said with a grin on his face,

"Apologies, mister. I'll be leavin' now." Mr. Lawson grunted in turn,

"Rotten kids," before pulling his head back in and slamming his window shut. I shivered as the cold seeped in. I leaned against the wall and looked up at the night sky recollecting with great mortification what I had just told Jack in my befuddled state. I inwardly groaned. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack walking back to me. He stopped before me, crossed his arms and said,

"I guess ya want ta change out of dose wet clothes." I looked regretfully down at my soaked dress, hair still dripping.

"Yes, I guess I better." I looked up at this moment, pushing my sodden hair out of my eyes and for the first time, took in the bruise on his cheekbone and the rag still wrapped around his arm. I stepped over to him and gesturing to his arm asked, "Um, how bad is it?" He looked down at it as if he had forgotten it was there.

"Oh, I don't know. Some goons of O'Malley followed me after I left tha warehouse. Didn't really have a good chance ta take a look at it. Afta I lost them, I was gonna fix it before I headed back to tha lodge house." Taking his forearm, I pulled the cloth away carefully. I sucked in my breath. He chuckled bitterly and said,

"That bad, huh?" I paused, gingerly trying to remove the rest of cloth.

"Well, yes and no. There's a good amount of blood but I don't think the wound is very deep...I can help if..." I trailed off and looked up at him. He nodded. He wrapped the cloth around his arm again as I walked over to my window. I looked back at him expectantly. He said, gesturing to my soaked dress,

"I'll wait out here then."

"Oh. Of course." I climbed in and drew the curtains and felt around in the dark a bit for any dry piece of clothing. The only thing I could find right off was my nightgown thrown over the side of my bed. _Might as well. It'll cover me from head to toe. _It was thinner than I remembered so I threw on my dressing gown as well to ward off the chill. I padded quietly over to the window and opened the window. Jack was leaning against the wall and he threw his cigarette to the side as he walked over to the window. As he climbed in, I turned to light a candle. I whispered,

"I'll be right back." I opened the door of my room carefully. It seemed that the Learys had stayed asleep throughout the entire ruckus I had made outside. Thankfully, it seemed they were heavy sleepers. I knew the aid kit Mrs. Leary kept on hand for Nelly was in the family room. Then I padded over to the store. Behind the counter, I reached into the icebox and pulled out a sizable piece of ice. I made it back to the room and found Jack sitting on the edge of my bed looking around my room in interest. I put the kit on the dresser and opened it. I took out some clean rags, a bandage and a bottle of clear liquid. A bit overwhelmed, I stopped and regarded my supplies. First, I reached for the ice and wrapped it in a rag and walked over to him. I put it to his cheek and said,

"Hold that there, it'll help with the swelling." I grabbed the pitcher of water that I used for washing and poured it into the basin. Then I took the basin and brought it over to the dresser. I dipped in the rag and sat next to Jack taking his arm. I unwrapped the cloth he had on it to reveal the five-inch gash on his forearm. I began to gingerly wipe away the dried blood. Jack asked,

"So, how long have ya been in Manhattan?"

"A few months or so. I've lived in Brooklyn all my life. But I'm boarding with a family who owns the grocery. The owner was friends with my father." I tentatively asked,

"Why was O'Malley so angry?" He shook his head and said,

"D'you remembah that Bronx newsie?" I nodded. He continued, "Well, 'e had some friends. When we found them inside, it wasn't hard ta see what they was there for. They were all drunk and forcin' themselves on otha girls. We had ta take 'em out and show 'em a lesson. And O'Malley didn't like that. He usta be a good bloke. But they say power got to 'is head. Most of his newsies don't like him and want ta see him gone. Manhattans been havin' trouble with 'im for awhile now. It was only a matta of time before somethin' happened."

I digested this information and then rose to set down the cloth and grab the bottle before sitting back down and reading the label. Looking back at him, I bit my lip and said, "This might sting a bit." I opened the bottle and a strong alcohol-like smell wafted out. He tensed but nodded. I dabbed a bit on a small piece of cloth and pressed carefully into his wound. Jack swore, jerked his arm away, stood up and said,

"What the hell is that?!"

"I'm sorry but it's necessary. Unless you want the wound to fester and..." He paled and said,

"Well, alright then, get it ovah with." He sat back down and I did it as quickly as I could and then fanned it to relieve the stinging. I turned to grab the bandage and said,

"And now, _la piece de resistance_." I began to wound it around his arm. "I certainly hope I"m doing this right. I've only ever seen Mrs. Leary do it for her daughter..." I looked up and our eyes locked in that moment. He leaned forward and I felt my heart beating. Then, we both heard three sharp raps at my window. Startled, I rose quickly, walked over and pulled open the curtains. Racetrack Higgens stood, smirking through a cloud of cigar smoke. I opened the window. Despite feeling a bit light-headed, I returned the smirk.

"Racetrack Higgins, we meet again."

"Dat we do." He walked forward. I began,

"How d'you..."

"A little boid tells me things." I gave him an exasperated look. He shrugged,

"I had a feelin'." Before I could further question him, he spotted Jack coming behind me. "Jackie-boy! You're all fixed up." Jack chuckled. He stood next to me, one hand on the window frame and said proudly, looking at his bandage which he had finished wrapping around his arm,

"Yeah, how 'bout it?" Racetrack continued, arms resting on the windowsill,

"Sorry to interrupt things heah," I felt myself blush, "but O'Malley's plannin' somethin', Jack. Some of his newsies followed me, Mush and Blink. And we was gonna soak 'em but they ran off when we turned 'round. They shouted befoah they left, 'Tell Jack O'Malley's comin' for 'im!" Jack's face darkened and he said,

"That bastard had some of his newsies follow me too. Lost 'em not too far from heah."

"The boys and me was wonderin' if maybe we should nip dis in tha bud, ya know. Go out there and settle dis tonight." Jack turned away before walking back and saying,

"No. I have a feelin' thats what O'Malley wants us to do. Thats jus' how he works. He probably has somethin' up his sleeve, somethin' that will be to his advantage. Make sure he wins, ya know."

"Like tonight," I added bitterly.

"Exactly. No, what we have ta do is...let 'em know that if they have a bone to pick with us, we're up for a fair fight." I interjected,

"But, Jack, you already fought O'Malley..." Racetrack interrupted,

"Yeah, but see O'Malley will nevah agree to a fair fight. He'll jus' pretend he don't care no more, while he stews up in tha Bronx." Jack nodded and smiled. Racetrack added,

"But ya know, Jack, some of the boys got real riled up. I told 'em ta stay put while I went ta get ya." Jack nodded and climbed out. Racetrack nodded to me and walked away saying, "See ya, Katie." He disappeared around the corner. Jack turned back to me and said,

"Well, thanks for the um," he gestured to the bandage around his arm.

"Oh right, of course...and I'm so sorry about earlier Jack, I wasn't..."

"Thinkin' straight?" I laughed and said,

"Exactly." He held out his hand asking,

"Truce?" I took it.

"Yes." We shook hands and then surprisingly, he gently drew me in, still holding on to my hand. He leaned in as I leaned out precariously, holding onto the frame of the window for support. He gave me a kiss and after what seemed like ages, I drew back, out of breath. Jack grinned and said,

"I guess I shouldn't keep Racetrack waitin'." I smiled shakily.

"Right. Who knows what stories he would spread." He chuckled and waved before disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

* * *

_Oh dear. I must apologize for this writing...argh...This chapter had me stuck forever! I hope I haven't disappointed...greatly. I do have a few more chapters semi-written. But I'm totally stuck at the ending...  
_

**Alyjay**: _Haha, I could totally see that visual. Oh, by the way, O'Malley's definitely making a comeback..._

**Cowboys-goil: **_Thanks for the plethora of reviews! And I totally know what you mean that they did all that just for Katie. I thought that would be a bit Mary-sueish so I wanted to make it more that Manhattan was having problems with O'Malley and the Bronx anyway. Hopefully this chapter touched on that a bit more. _

**killtheenviousmoon: **_Thanks! I like writing new characters but mostly because I feel like I'll mess up canon. And YES, Christian Bale is amaZing._

**newyorklghts: **_Thanks!_

**NewsiesSpot88: **_:)_

**Natalie: **_Thanks! :) I hope I don't mangle the rest of it._

**IHeartJensen: **:)

**SilentScream8907: **I guess I needed that nudge :)

**ReadAllAboutIt: **:)

_I was looking for the Reply to Review button for the loongest time. I didn't know it existed for a good while. Sad but true._

_I've been away for a preetty long time so sorry for that!  
_


	12. Chapter 12

_The next day..._

_

* * *

_"A_ handshake? _A _handshake_?" said Molly following me around as I tided up the shelves in the grocery store.

"You didn't let me finish, Molly." I continued, sharing the details. She grinned and said,

"Oh, I knew it!"

"Oh, nonsense. I couldn't have predicted it myself." I laughed as I checked if the flour barrel was full. Molly pulled herself up on the counter and said,

"So what has happened since?" looking around as though Jack would appear any moment. I shrugged and tried to say off-handedly,

"I haven't seen him since. It's been almost a week it has." I worried the rag I was using for dusting but then said. "You disappeared as well, for some time." Molly rolled her eyes,

"Being kept busy by my dear old Mum. She had a right fit when she caught William and me sneaking back in that night. Barely convinced her the smell of whiskey was from the shindig and not me." Mr. Leary emerged from the counter then, carrying a package.

"Hullo, there Molly." Molly returned the greeting, sliding off the counter. "Katie, we'd like you to take this package to Bailey Conner and pick up Nelly to her aunts at five o'clock. Until then, feel free to wander at ease," he said, smiling grandly. I thanked him and taking the package I stepped out. Molly left me at the next street corner, waving at me as she set out to fulfill her own errands. I dropped the package off and wandered around for some time at a loss for what to do. I didn't want to walk back to the grocery only to walk back to pick up Nelly.

So I settled with sitting in the park and pulling out the book I had in my apron front. I had been reading for some time when a shadow suddenly fell over my page. I looked up in surprise and said,

"Jack! Where've you been?" He smirked and was about to say something before I interrupted and said, "Let me see your arm." He rolled up his sleeve and showed me how the wound was healing. I took his wrist and leaned in closer. I smiled in relief and said, "It looks better." He rolled his sleeve down and said,

"So, I've been thinkin'." I raised an eyebrow. He ignored it, sat next to me and leaned in as he said, "See, it's a damn shame. Ya've been in Manhattan for months now and no ones given ya the grand tour." I smiled and said

"A grand tour?" He grinned, stood and pulled me up by the hand.

"Yeah. Right now." I laughed and said,

"What? No, I can't. I have to pick the Leary's daughter in an hour."

"That's all it'll take. What d'you say?" I mulled it over.

"Oh, I…oh why not," I said, giving in. We walked over to the streets that were now bustling with people. Jack weaved through the crowd with ease but soon a stream of people, headed every which way, blocked my path. I tried to find an opening but it looked as if i would have to push my way through. Ahead, Jack turned back and realized I was behind. He reached out a hand over the crowd, which I grasped desperately as I pushed my way through. We walked some ways and Jack produced an orange from his pocket.

"Let me peel it," I offered. I took half and gave him the rest. I placed the first slice in my mouth and said,

"It's lovely. Thanks, Jack" He grinned and we continued walking. He would point out amid bites the sights and the best places to see a show or a fight. At one point as we were walking, I looked back and saw a somewhat familiar face. Or I should say two. I gasped when I recognized them and gripped Jack's arm. He looked over at me in surprise and said,

"Somethin' wrong?"

"What? No. I thought I may have seen...never mind." He didn't seem too convinced so I said cheerfully as I patted his arm,

"Where to next?" We headed to the wharf and Jack taught me how to skip stones.

'See, ya have ta lean like this. Draw your arm. That's right."

"Oh! One, two, three, four, five! Yes!" Jack said,

"I think ya have the hang of it." Then he sat down in the sand and lighted a cigarette while I skipped three more stones. I went over and sat down next to him.

"I didn't think I would have ever learned to do that."

"Yeah? Yer a fast learner." I lay back in the sand, looking up at the blue sky. I sighed and closed my eyes, hearing the waves gush in the water. Then I shrieked. Jack looked over in surprise.

I stood up and we laughed as we realized that the cold water had crashed over my shoes and dress hem, taking me by surprise.

The last place we went to was to get _"tha best view in Manhattan"_ as Jack put it. It was on the top of an abandoned building slightly higher than the surrounding buildings. We went up some rickety, slightly unstable stairs and climbed to the top. Jack went up first and helped pull me up. We went over to the edge, which was marked with a thin, rusting iron rail and saw the rest of the city sprawling in all directions. Luckily, it was a clear day and we could see quite far off.

"It's beautiful. How d'you find it?" Jack laughed and said,

"Runnin' from the bulls one day." He went over next to me and looked into the distance. He said quietly,

"So did ya like it?"

"Yes. Yes I did." I smiled over at him. He leaned over and pushed the hair out of my eyes. I threw my arms around his neck as his hands settled on my waist. He kissed me gently as if afraid I would turn and run at the roughest touch. But I couldn't help my frustrations and worries flowing into the kiss as I kissed him fiercely, almost desperately. He was taken aback for a split second but he responded with more fervor. I could have stayed kissing Jack Kelly for quite some time but in the distance I heard the toll of the bell. _One...Two...Three...Four…Five…_I pulled away in surprise and said, "I completely forgot! I have to go pick up Nelly. What part of Manhattan is this?" Jack laughed and said,

"Don't worry, I'll take ya back."

He took me back to Nelly's aunt's house. I went up the steps and knocked on the door. When I looked back, Jack had disappeared.

* * *

At the dinner that night, as I was mashing the last of Nelly's potatoes, I was thinking about my day with Jack. I couldn't help but smile but then I remembered the jolt of apprehension I'd felt when I saw those two guys who had tried, I am sure to lead me to down some dark alley that one day. Oscar something...And the other...Or, at least, I thought I saw them. I was sure it was them, but what reason would they have been to follow me or Jack? Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted when Mrs. Leary said,

"Katie, we've some good news for you." I looked up, wondering what it could be. Mr. Leary said,

"Mrs. Leary and I have decided to give you the coming week off. It's high time you see your family for more than just a weekend." I smiled and said gratefully,

"Well, I'm delighted. Thank you." Mrs. Leary said,

"Of course, they aren't expecting you until the following weekend so we'll send notice." I shook my head in sudden inspiration.

"Oh please, I'd like it very much if it were a surprise." They considered this and nodded. Mrs. Leary said,

"What a nice idea. Well, that's settled then. You may leave Monday morning and come back sometime the next Monday. I thanked them profusely before I headed to my room.

* * *

**newyorklghts- **:) Thanks!**  
**

**Aeryn Palmer- **:) I'm glad you found my story a worthwhile read!**  
**

**NewsiesSpot- **Good idea! :)

**ReadAllAboutIt**- Good to know. I definitely agree, I need to work on that!

**NewsgirlxRider/Sierra-** :)

**deanie**- Another new reader, yay!

**liz-04- **Thanks!

**LBW- **Thanks! I'm trying to update more frequently but as you can see, it's just not happening as much as I would like.

_Thanks everyone for reading!  
_


	13. Chapter 13

_Monday morning---6 o'clock_

_

* * *

_I finished writing my letter to Jack some minutes after I had awoken. I let out a sigh of frustration as I sealed it and wedged it in my window. I never quite knew when I would see him again. I hadn't had the chance to tell him I would be in Brooklyn for a week. If he stopped by, I decided, he would find the letter.

After I'd gotten ready, I stepped out of the grocery and closed door gently behind me. Molly was sitting on the steps waiting. The early morning light lingered still and the street was quiet. She stood up and we walked down the street. She'd agreed to walk with me as far as the Brooklyn Bridge. We chattered as we made our way through the empty streets. Pretty soon, our conversation reverted to the gathering we had last attended. Molly said,

"Well, you have to admit it was fun. Exciting!"

"It was definitely something."

"So it got a little raucous in the end, but..." I rose an eyebrow.

"A little raucous. Yes, Molly next time I have a death wish, I'll know just where to go." I shifted the cloth bag I was carrying and inadvertently glanced back. A lone figure was walking in the same direction as us. I don't know what it was, perhaps the sense of purpose in his step or the lowered head, but I knew we were being followed. I nudged Molly, who promptly nudged me back. Exasperated, I linked arms with her and lowered my head as if I were telling her some silly, girlish secret and whispered,

"Don't look now..." Her head tilted a fraction to her right. "Molly, I said don't look." She snapped her head back. I continued. "I think we're being followed." We walked for some minutes before she glanced back as casually as she could. She turned back and said,

"Its one of those Delancey brothers. Morris or Oscar, I don't know." I groaned.

"I believe I had the pleasure of meeting them one day." Molly stuck her tongue out in disgust and said

"They're awful, good-for-nothing..." She was cut short for as we neared an alley, Oscar Delancey emerged suddenly. We stopped and turned swiftly only to find that Morris Delancey had caught up and was blocking our way. They both grinned wickedly. I shoved Morris who only laughed. Molly turned and tried to kick Oscar but was caught by surprise when Morris twisted her arms behind her. Oscar did the same to me before I could react and we were dragged, kicking and yelling into the alley from where he had come. No one came at the sound of our scuffle, and this may have been because many of the buildings seemed to be abandoned. I managed to kick behind me and connect with Oscar's knee. He threw me to the ground and I landed heavily on my arm. I heard Molly off to the side saying,

"Let me _go_!" I tried to rise but a cloth was shoved into my face. A heavy, chemical smell rose from it and my vision blurred. The last thing I heard before everything grew dark was the sound of running.

* * *

I came to in the back of a wagon surrounded by crates and other goods. My hands were tied behind my back and my feet were tied as well. I struggled to loosen the bonds on my hands first, but they had tied them surprisingly well. All I succeeded in doing was rubbing my wrists raw. My mind sped and instead of wasting time wondering what on earth was happening, I concentrated on a way to escape. Unfortunately at that moment, the wagon stopped. Someone got off the front and walked over to the back and pulled it open. Oscar's leering face stared in at me. He shouted,

"Oy, Morris, she's up." Morris came around and said leering,

"C'mon, give us a kiss then, we'll be nice." I glowered at them both and said.

"Drop dead, and that goes for both of you." Oscar said,

"'ey, that's not very nice!" Morris said,

"No, it ain't. 'Ere, put this on her. Maybe it'll teach her ta shut up." He handed him a strip of cloth. Oscar climbed in and tried to put the gag on. I jerked my head away. But there was little else I could do. In moments, I was not only tied but gagged, which didn't at all help my mood. Morris tossed him another piece of cloth and this he put around my eyes. I heard him climb out and I frantically tried to loosen my hands again. But Oscar came back and I felt him untie my legs. Then he grabbed me roughly and forced me to come out of the wagon. I heard someone say,

"Dis her, den?"

"Yeah, yeah. No mistake. Now where's our..." He trailed off when the other voice cut him off roughly, saying,

"Hold on, now. He wants ta see ya foist."

Someone gripped my arm and forced me to walk forward. We entered, climbed up some steps and entered a building of some kind. Once inside, wooden floors echoed beneath my feet. Then we walked up some stairs and I heard a murmur of voices. Then I was shoved inside a room. I heard another voice say,

"Put her in that chair right 'dere." I was forced to sit. Then the blindfold and gag were removed. As my eyes adjusted, I could see I was in a dusty room filled with crates and barrels. But other than that it was obvious the room hadn't been in much use for some time. I looked in front of me and gasped. O'Malley was standing in front of me, cleaning a knife.

* * *

_ooohh...._a rather fast update on my part since I've been away for so long. A bit short, sorry!

_newyorklghts: aw, thanks!_

_chacotan: :D_

_ReadAllAboutIt: thanks, I worked on it some :)_

_LBW: If I ever have time, I'll work on it because I do agree with you._

_Thanks for your reviews!!!  
_


	14. Chapter 14

* * *

_Continued....._

* * *

He stepped closer and pointing the knife at me said,

"Well, if it isn't Mrs. Jack Kelly." I sputtered,

"What?" He ignored me and went back to cleaning the knife. He continued.

"Do ya know who I am?" Even with the obvious, dangerous situation I was in, I couldn't help myself. I said quietly,

"Of course. The one who can't beat Jack Kelly in a fair fight." Immediately his countenance changed. He growled and strode over to me. He leaned down and held the knife to my throat and whispered,

"Thers only one reason I'm not bleedin' ya right now." He paused and pressed the knife harder. "We'se gonna give Jack Kelly a lesson he ain't nevah gonna forget." Then he tossed the knife angrily to the ground, went over to the door and said, "Bring me tha Delancey brudders. I need ta talk ta 'em." Someone brought them to the doorway but from where I was sitting, I could only see O'Malley. I heard Morris say,

"Alright, dats her, now can we'se go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Jus' one question. No one saw ya take her, right?" There was a pause and the tension tangibly increased. O'Malley punched the wall. "God damn ya bunch of fools! Kelly must already know!" He shoved past them, slammed the door behind him, and shouted, "Where's Piker? Get me Piker!"

I breathed out carefully, straining to hear if anyone else was near. Only distant shouting was what I heard. I smirked. It seemed O'Malley's plan wasn't going like he planned. From what he had told me, I had gotten the gist of it. The rotten bastard was going to use me to lure Jack to whatever ambush he had set for him. Well, I wasn't going to have any of it.

I stood up and walked over to the knife O'Malley had carelessly thrown to the side. Unfortunately, it had spun out a little further than I would have liked. I walked carefully over to it to avoid the well-worn spots of the wooden floor. My hands were tied behind my back so I had to lean down awkwardly to pick it up. Once I had it, I carefully slid the knife back and forth. Despite my care, I nicked my wrists a few times. But eventually, the rope was loosened enough that I wriggled out of it. I tucked the knife in front of my dress, folding it in, and rubbed the blood away on the front of me dress.

Then I looked for a window. There was only one on the far side. I tried to force the window open. It swung open in a cloud of dust. I coughed heavily and swatted at the rest of the dust as I climbed out of the window to the fire escape. I tried to make a decision to go up or down.

Suddenly, I heard shouts from the room and made my decision. I climbed down. Then, I jumped to the ground from the fire escape and ran to the end of the alley. I almost bumped into a newsie coming in my direction. I ducked from his grasp and ran to the other end. My heart sinking, I realized it was a dead end. The fence was much too high for me to climb. I whirled around and a group of Bronx newsies closed in on me. One leered and said,

"It's ovah now, girly." I reached out to strike him but another grabbed my hand and twisted it until I stopped resisting. He said,

"O'Malley! I got her. She ain't goin' nowhere." O'Malley pushed past the boys crowding around me. I spat in his face. And he slapped me. I refused to cry out but nonetheless, a gasp escaped my lips. He said,

"Yer not makin' this easy for ya." Then he nodded to one of his boys, saying, "Take 'er inside."

* * *

I was led forcefully down some stone stairs leading to a dank cellar. A newsie, whose hair was a vivid red, held on to my arm, lugged me to the left, opened a door and shoved me in. The door slammed shut and I pounded on it angrily and yelled as he locked it. But I gave up and sat down on the dirty ground. A rat squeaked and ran over my shoe, I stood up quickly and gave such a shriek that he came back running.

"What th' 'ell?"

"A rat! It was a rat!"

"Aw, fer chrissakes!" He walked off and his footsteps soon disappeared. My eyes adjusted and I soon saw a bench on the other side of the room. I sat down wearily. There were no windows and no way for me to tell if it was morning or night. Well, of course it was still morning. I moaned. This day was going by painfully slow. I stretched out on the bench and somehow fell into a fitful sleep.

That night, the door flew open and some bread and water were placed by the door. Then, it was promptly slammed shut. I went over and ate the hard bread and drank the tepid water. I tried to peer outside of the small window of the cellar but it was as dark outside as it was inside. I went back to the bench and lay on my back. Trying to see if I could make out the ceiling in the darkness. Then, I hummed the lullabies that I remembered Mama used to sing to me and Eliza when we were younger. The scurry of the rats was the only other sound in the cellar.

* * *

_I had to update and get it out of my system! All this week, I've been working on other stuff (like this) rather than working on things like, I don't know, my history project and such. I originally had a shorter "ending" and was going for it because there has been a decrease in interest. :( But, I've worked quite a bit on this so I went with a better version that's a bit longer. Thanks to anyone still reading and sticking around. There's a few more chapters!_

**ReadAllAboutIt- **Thanks!

**newyorklghts: **I updated! :)

**deanie: **:) Thanks

**Mids-all-the-way: **I'm glad you're back! O'Malley will get what's getting to him but I won't give too much away... ;)

_As always, reviews are throughly appreciated :P_


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

Eventually, I fell asleep again as there wasn't much else to do. And I didn't wake up until the next morning when the door swung open and someone walked in. I couldn't tell who it was because of the blinding light. He walked over and tugged me off the bench and marched me over to the door. I didn't know where this Bronx newsie was taking me now but at least away from the awful cellar. Then, I cursed myself for not reaching for my knife.

* * *

This time, they had me tied to a chair inside O'Malley's room. To keep a closer eye on me during the day, I suppose. It was excruciatingly boring, but better than the cellar I told myself. For the first few hours, I made myself sick with worry, wondering if Jack and Molly were alright. Then I remembered my own predicament. I knew the knife I'd hidden in the front of my dress would help eventually, but there was no way to reach it with my hands tied to the back of a chair. I was facing the window. All I could see was the sky. It was reddening. Dusk was falling. I felt like laughing. Hysterically so. Suddenly there was a slam. O'Malley strode in, alone.

He came over to me, leaned over and tilted my chin up. "How are ya?" I didn't answer. I just glared at him. He laughed humorlessly, his black hair falling into his eyes. Then, he leaned closer, his lips brushing the corner of my mouth. I moved my head away sharply. He grinned, let me go and walked over to the window; leaning on the window frame and looking below. "No word from Jack. Nothin' from Manhattan...Almost as if he don't care..."

My heart sank as I stared at the floor. He returned to where I was and placed his hands on the arms of the chair, leaning down so he was looking right into my eyes. "See, so I was thinkin'... I thought tha best way ta get ta back at Kelly was by kidnappin' 'is girl and bringin' 'im in. But now, shes heah and Jack Kelly ain't...It changes things..." I looked back at him blankly. He leaned closer and I shut my eyes tightly. I felt him take my chin and kiss me fully on the mouth. Startled, I didn't offer any resistance…then I thought of Jack and jerked away. He stood up violently and regarded me with irritation. "I don't 'ave time fer this." He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Take 'er downstairs. I don't want ta see 'er heah when I come back." Ugh, the cellar. After a few more minutes, the door opened and someone walked in. I tensed and readied myself to grab for the knife as soon as I was untied. But I quickly realized from the din outside that more than one Bronx newsie loitered by the door. Realizing I would be no match for them, I sank back in the chair. One walked in and untied me from the chair.

I stood up and faced Piker, O'Malley's right-hand man. I turned and walked out the door with him close at hand. I held my head high and avoided the eyes of the leering Bronx newsies as I walked down the staircase. Piker seemed nice enough with teasing eyes and brown locks of hair carelessly falling into his eyes. He'd made jokes for me and asked me if I wanted this or that but I couldn't help feeling utter contempt for anyone working so closely with someone like O'Malley. I shivered at that thought. I wanted to spit at his name. I felt wholly contaminated by his touch. A shudder ran through me as I touched my lips gently. Piker then grasped my arm and he took me back down to the cellar.

Once there, he swung the heavy cellar door open and motioned me in. Hah! As if he were gentleman. I strode angrily past him. Surprisingly, he followed me into the cellar and shut the door gently behind him as he glanced warily outside. Piker went over to me as I stupidly backed into the wall. He was standing rather too close for my liking and looked me right in the eyes as he began quietly,

"I have something to tell you…" But before he could finish, I'd taken the knife from the folds of my skirt and pressed it against his throat.

* * *

_I felt the last chapter was too short. It definately didn't make up for the long time I'd been gone. So here's another...REVIEWS! YAY!_

**newyorklghts:** hee. just wait and see :)

**LBW: **Funny you mentioned that little detail. Good eye!

**NewsgirlxRider**: Thanks. :)


	16. Chapter 16

"That can wait," I tried to say strongly. I tried to keep my hand steady as I said, "Now, my hand can slip any moment so I suggest you do as I say." He didn't smile. But were his eyes were dancing?

"Oh, would ya rather stay 'ere den? I _was_ gonna help ya escape accordin' to Jack and all but…" He trailed off as I stared at him. I slowly let the knife down.

"Are you lying?"

He shook his head firmly. "Naw. Ya gotta believe me. I nevah knew O'Malley would plan somethin' like this. He didn't even tell me until you was brung ovah heah by dose Delancey brudders. I left Bronx last night ta talk to Jack and Spot Conlon. We decided ta get ya out of heah befoah…befoah everythin' starts."

"What? What's going to happen?"

Piker's face darkened. "O'Malley can't be leadah no more. He's got no sense and 'e can bring us all down. It'll be us, Manhattan, and Brooklyn against him and dose who stick ta 'im for da power. Hes got no chance."

I nodded and said, "What can I do?"

Piker ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Well, Jack said tha lodge house was tha safest place for ya."

I shook my head and said heatedly, "I have to stay. Jack…"

Piker took me by the shoulders gently and said, "Jack can fight for 'imself. I'm sure we'se all can. Ya have ta go back. O'Malley'll hurt ya if ya stick around." I frowned as he thrust some clothes at me. "So put dese on. Youse leavin' in disguise." He gave me his word he wouldn't turn as he faced the door. I quickly put on the pants, shirt, vest, and cap.

As soon as I tucked my hair into the cap, I said dejectedly, "Finished." He motioned me over and handed me the cloth bag I had been carrying before I'd been dumped unceremoniously in the wagon here. I stuffed my dress inside and swung it over my shoulder as he opened the door.

"Stay close and quiet," he said. We remained in the cellar level where the ground was still dirt and very little light shone through. I had no idea how Piker knew his way around in the complete darkness. I had to grab his shirtsleeve as I could barely see my hand in front of me. As we rounded a corner, I could see a thin beam of light, as if from the underside of a door. As we neared, I found I was right.

Piker opened the door, thrust his head out and whistled. Then he pulled himself back in and we waited in the darkness. My heart was beating quickly but Piker remained as collected as he'd been when I had the knife against his throat. Suddenly, we heard a sharp rap on the door and Piker opened the door and two figures walked in. The door closed behind them.

One said, "Was dis tha best place ya could get, Piker? I can't see nothing." Then a match was struck and a cigarette lit. My mouth fell open and rushed forward and hugged Racetrack with all my strength.

"I'm so relieved!" He patted my hair absent-mindedly. "Careful dere, I might set your hair on fire." I pulled away and grinned.

Then I asked, "Where's Jack?" looking around, expecting him to appear any second.

"Neahby," answered Racetrack, "I expect Pikers filled ya in. Snipeshootah heah is gonna take ya ta the lodge house."

"Yeah, yeah. I'd rather stay." I could sense Racetrack rolling his eyes in the dark.

Then he said, "Dats not gonna happen and ya know dat. I'se would leave now. Da place is clear." Piker opened the door. Snipeshooter, a boy of about 12 with a curly mop of hair, looked out and signaled me to follow him. I gave Piker and Racetrack a reluctant good-bye and followed Snipeshooter out the alley.

* * *

And unlike my failed attempt before, we made it out. I guess they had really planned the whole thing. We walked tensely in the falling darkness and in silence for over ten minutes. Then we turned a corner and he visibly relaxed. As he looked across the street, I quickly grabbed something from my bag and stuffed it into my pocket.

"Dere," he said, "We'se out of the Bronx. We'se in Manhattan now. Dat was the end of O'Malley's territory. Heah, I'se can carry that bag of yours if ya want."

I smiled gratefully and handed it to him. "Thanks. D'you mean he didn't take me that far from Manhattan territory?"

He turned and gave me a grin. "Dat was his foist mistake, Jack said."

"What happened? D'you know?"

"Yeah. Foist, this goil shows up at the lodge house de otha day all nutty."

"Molly."

"Yeah, dat was 'er name. So its real early mornin' and shes goin'on about how she has ta talk ta Jack or Race or anybody. Jack comes out and she tells him dat you, ya know got taken by the Delanceys. Den Jack gets real mad and he goes off for a bit. When he comes back, hes draggin' Oscar Delancey by the collar all bloody-like and he says he told him that O'Malley's behind everythin' and they was jus' followin' orders. Race, Jack and Blink go ta Brooklyn ta ask Spot Conlon fer what he owes Manhattan. So Spot tells 'im ta wait one more day and not to talk ta Bronx so we'se can be real sneaky about it. But den Piker shows up and dey plan tha whole thing and now they'se ovah dere, about ta settle things with Bronx and dats what happened."

I nodded and tried to absorb all of it and unbeknownst to Snipeshooter, also memorize the corners we turned and the streets we took. As we rounded the corner of Peterson St, we suddenly came across the most bizarre street fest. A whole mess of people crowded the street, watching entertainers swallow swords, fire or both. Others crowded around cages of captured animals that howled from within. A short round man who seemed to be the boss, boomed from a raised stage in the center of the street saying, "Step right up and see our little circus right here on grand ol' Peterson St.!"

I looked at Snipeshooter in bewilderment. He grinned and said, "Dey come twice a year and stay fer a whole week. I didn't know they was coming dis early! I wanna see the fire eater."

Realizing the great chance I had stumbled upon, I nodded eagerly and said, "We should go!"

But he shook his head and said, "Nah, Race said ta take ya straight to tha lodge house. Koppleman ain't in town for a bit so we'se supposed ta put ya in the spare room."

I gave him a shrug and said, "Who's gonna tell I'm a girl in this get-up? Besides, we're in Manhattan territory now." He looked halfway convinced so I took a penny from my shoe and said, "Look what I have!" I tossed it to him and walked towards the crowd. I could see him considering what the bright penny could buy in the street circus. Then I heard running footsteps from behind and grinned. We elbowed our way into the crowd.

* * *

**wackydreams: **Taking that into account. Sometimes I forget though! Apologies in advance.

**newyorklghts**: I guess I made O'Malley a pretty despicable character!

**NewsgirlxRider: **Thanks :)

**LBW: **I know that was way too short. And I left you in a most awful cliff-hanger. This one's kinda short too. :/

**Natalie S: **No worries. I wasn't planning to end with thaaat. I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for your reviews!

**Soccer-Bitch**: Thank you!

**Spelllesswonder29: **I will continue! Don't want to leave it unfinished. But for some reason, it gets harder to write the ending.


End file.
